{"id":1105,"date":"2012-12-04T06:00:17","date_gmt":"2012-12-04T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=1105"},"modified":"2012-12-03T15:15:20","modified_gmt":"2012-12-03T23:15:20","slug":"season-8-episode-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=1105","title":{"rendered":"Season 8, Episode 5"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/IMG_0872.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"IMG_0872\" src=\"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/IMG_0872-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"132\" height=\"176\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The rumble in her stomach interrupted Ana\u2019s train of thought. She glanced at the clock on her computer, amazed that it was already three. No wonder she was hungry! She hadn\u2019t eaten since eight that morning. She was surprised that Joey hadn\u2019t come in to see if she wanted to have lunch earlier &#8211; ever since they\u2019d started working with each other, they\u2019d taken lunch together every day. They were like new best friends in high school: Initially a bit shy and reserved, tip-toeing around conversations, trying to ascertain if the other person would think what they liked was \u2018cool\u2019, without having to actually come out and ask. But that had passed, and now they practically finished each others sentences.<\/p>\n<p>Ana frowned. In fact, Joey hadn\u2019t come past her office yesterday, either. Probably just super busy.\u00a0 Standing up from her desk, Ana stretched her arms above her head and then grabbed her coat and bag. She stuck her head into Joey\u2019s office to see if she was about, not surprised she wasn\u2019t, and headed out into the rain in search of something lunch-worthy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p>She shook her umbrella out and left it in the receptacle by the door of the cafe. It was the closest place to work, and she and Joey came here frequently when they were on a deadline and needed to grab something in a hurry. As she ambled up to the counter she could see that most of the savoury\u00a0 foods were already sold out. Seemed as though it was going to have to be cake again for lunch. She glanced around the small cafe, empty apart from two other women sitting in the back corner, huddled over coffees. Ana peered closer. One of them was Joey. She smiled broadly and walked towards them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s just no way it\u2019s going to work,\u201d Ana heard Joey say in slightly hushed tones to her friend. \u201cShe\u2019s too\u2026 different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana stopped mid-stride and was trying to decide if she could slip away without being noticed, when Joey turned around and saw her. Her face flushed dark red.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t mean to interrupt,\u201d Ana said. \u201cI just saw you over here and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m Vanessa,\u201d the other lady said quickly. \u201cJoey\u2019s sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana smiled and put out her hand. \u201cI\u2019m Ana.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re Ana,\u201d Vanessa said, looking Ana up and down. \u201cI\u2019ve heard a lot about you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana gulped. From both the women\u2019s expressions she knew she\u2019d busted them talking about her. And it didn\u2019t look as though it was anything good.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should get back,\u201d Ana mumbled. \u201cIt was nice to meet you Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p>Ana couldn\u2019t focus when she got back to her office. Why had Joey been talking about her? And what what had she been saying? Was Ana going to get fired\u2026 again?<\/p>\n<p>By five o\u2019clock she could take it no more. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d she demanded, standing in Joey\u2019s door, hands on her hips.<\/p>\n<p>Joey looked at her, surprised. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not an idiot,\u201d Ana said. \u201cIf I\u2019m not working out here, just tell me. Don\u2019t string it out any longer than it has to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joey looked genuinely puzzled. \u201cYou\u2019re not happy here?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Now it was Ana\u2019s turn to look surprised. \u201cOf course I am. I thought that you weren\u2019t happy with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I feel like you\u2019re avoiding me. And when I saw you today at lunch\u2026 just tell me if you\u2019re going to fire me, OK?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think I\u2019m going to fire you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana blushed. \u201cYes. No\u2026 I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joey threw her head back and laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI guess I\u2019m a bit paranoid, huh?\u201d said Ana, abashed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t say? Ana, you are fabulous and you are spectacular at your job. I\u2019m definitely not going to fire you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana smiled sheepishly. \u201cWill you let this paranoid gal buy you a drink tonight in celebration of continued employment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joey smiled sadly at Ana. \u201cI don\u2019t think I should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh come on,\u201d Ana pleaded. \u201cWork can wait. Please. It\u2019ll be fun.\u201d She pouted and made her best puppy dog eyes. \u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joey hesitated. \u201cOK,\u201d she said finally. \u201cGive me two minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They went to a small wine bar and made light work of a bottle of Italian white before moving onto a Californian syrah then a New Zealand pinot. Ana felt deliciously blurry, the piece of cake she\u2019d had for lunch doing little to soak up the booze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a confession to make,\u201d Joey said suddenly, smiling lightly. Her voice was slightly slurred. \u201cIt\u2019s what I was talking to my sister about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOut with it then,\u201d Ana prompted, when Joey didn\u2019t say anything further.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like you Ana.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana laughed. \u201cHow is that a confession? I like you too.\u201d She picked up her glass and took another sip of the pinot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think you understand,\u201d Joey said. The smile was gone and her face was serious. \u201cI like you, Ana. I can\u2019t stop thinking about you.\u201d Joey took the glass from Ana\u2019s hand and put it on the table. She leaned forward slowly, her eyes locked on Ana\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Ana could feel her pulse start to pick up. She licked her lips self-consciously.<\/p>\n<p>Joey hesitated, her face inches from Ana\u2019s. In her eyes, a question.<\/p>\n<p>Ana gulped.<\/p>\n<p>Joey pressed her lips to Ana\u2019s, softly at first, their pressure intensifying when Ana didn\u2019t immediately pull away.<\/p>\n<p>Ana felt stars where her brain should have been. Neurons popped and fizzled like sherbet. Everything in the world stopped for a few seconds. But then\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. Wait.\u201d Ana pulled away, her hand flying to her lips. They were swollen and wet. \u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me\u2026 I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joey nodded. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t want to freak you out.\u201d She laughed sardonically. \u201cGuess it\u2019s a bit late for that now.\u201d She opened her handbag, taking out some money and putting it on the table. \u201cFor the wine.\u201d She picked up her coat, slinging it over her arm. \u201cI should go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoey, no, you don\u2019t have to go. It\u2019s just\u2026 I\u2019m not\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to say it,\u201d Joey said quickly. \u201cI know.\u201d She smiled sadly at Ana, a small sigh escaping her lips. \u201cSee you later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ana took her arm. \u201cJoey, wait\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joey paused and looked at the hand on her arm. \u201cDon\u2019t make it worse,\u201d she said softly, gently lifting Ana\u2019s fingers off. \u201cGoodnight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The rumble in her stomach interrupted Ana\u2019s train of thought. She glanced at the clock on her computer, amazed that it was already three. No wonder she was hungry! She hadn\u2019t eaten since eight that morning. She was surprised that Joey hadn\u2019t come in to see if she wanted to have lunch earlier &#8211; ever [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[228],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1105"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1110,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105\/revisions\/1110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}